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ClubWPT Player of the Day - Farid Jattin
Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante
Sorted In: Featured Blog, Farid Jattin, Jessica Welman, ClubWPT Player of the Day, Season X, bestbet Jacksonville01:16 PM, 04/30/12
Day 3 Official Chip Counts and Table Draw
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
Sorted In: Featured Blog, Season X, bestbet Jacksonville11:27 AM, 04/30/12
WPT Jacksonville bestbet Open, Day 2 Recap
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
By BJ Nemeth
Darren Elias started Day 2 as the overall chipleader with 213,600. At the end of the day, Elias was still near the top of the leaderboard, second in chips with 636,000.
In one of the craziest situations in World Poker Tour history, Zack Bird (not pictured) moved all in blind from the button -- before the cards were even dealt. Bird was serious, and a floorperson ruled that the action was binding unless someone raised the big blind ahead of him.
Matt Brady (third from left) woke up with Q
Q
and doubled up thru Bird's J10. As the dealer was counting down the chip stacks, Bird got up to leave. The dealer told him he still had some chips left, but Bird said he didn't want them. Bird abandoned his stack (worth five big blinds), and it blinded off without him.
Read the full details of this crazy hand by clicking here.
Day 2 began with five players under the age of 21 still in the running to win the customized surfboard. Barnes started the day as chipleader in that demographic (and fifth overall) with 145,600. Unfortunately, Barnes had a rough Day 2, and was eliminated before the dinner break.
Daniel Buzgon (center) is practically an old man compared to Robert Gorodetsky (left) and Glenn Fishbein (right). Buzgon is 27, while Gorodetsky and Fishbein are two of the remaining 18-20 year olds competing for the customized surfboard.
Allen Kessler (right) looks bored as he waits for the big blind (foreground, left) to call or fold to the all in of Tony Dunst (center). The board showed 87
3103, and the big blind eventually folded. Dunst showed Q9 -- a queen-high bluff.
Reigning WPT Player of the Year Andy Frankenberger (left, in blue) got to see this year's POY race play out in front of him as he shared a table with Joe Serock (top right, in black) and Will Failla (foreground, right).
Failla has led the POY race for most of the season, but Serock passed him last week with his second straight third-place WPT finish. Serock was eliminated late in the day, but Failla survived to Day 3, and will pick up more POY points if he cashes.
Brian Hastings (left) had flopped a set of kings on a board of AK3
, and Richard Grant moved all in dark before the turn card hit. Hastings waited to see the 8 hit the turn before he called, and Grant turned over 33 for a lower set. The set of kings held up for Hastings, and Grant was eliminated.
After the hand, James Dempsey (right) asked Hastings why he waited to see the turn card before calling. "Brian, what turn card do you fold to?" Hastings laughed along with everyone else.
Late in the day, James Dempsey (left) and Shawn Cunix were side-by-side and both near the top of the leaderboard -- Dempsey with 425,000, and Cunix with 377,000. While Dempsey stacked his chips high, Cunix went for shorter stacks spread out over a wide area.
With the board showing K427, Matt Giannetti (left) checked, and Byron Kaverman (right) bet 85,000 into a pot worth about 130,000. Giannetti tanked for five full minutes before he folded, and Kaverman took the pot. This photo may as well be video, because both players sat silent and motionless the entire time.
With 10 minutes left at the end of the day, the tournament clock was stopped and a card was drawn to determine how many more hands would be played. Will Failla organized a small pool where players bet $100 each on the number of hands. The card was the 5, and as you can see by his celebration, that was Failla's number.
In one of the final hands of the night, Danny Shiff was all in preflop with KK against the A4 of Tony Parille. It was a roller-coaster hand, as Parille flopped a flush draw and turned a pair of aces, only to see Shiff saved by a king on the river.
Alistair Melville (left) survived the day with a short stack, and showed a little chip-stack envy as he took a cellphone pic of James Dempsey's tower of chips. (Dempsey finished the day with 404,500.)
Farid Jattin emerged as the chipleader heading into the dinner break with 484,000 -- at a time when only one other player had reached 300,000 (David Tuthill had 310,000). Jattin's momentum continued after dinner, and he finished as chipleader with 718,000.
Day 2 came to an end with about 55 players remaining. Here are the top 10 from the leaderboard:
1. Farid Jattin - 718,000
2. Darren Elias - 636,000
3. Shawn Cunix - 411,000
4. James Dempsey - 404,500
5. David Tuthill - 381,000
6. Peter Campo - 341,500
7. Will Failla - 335,000
8. Byron Kaverman - 292,000
9. Barry Hutter - 275,000
10. Matt Giannetti - 274,500
Day 3 begins tomorrow (Monday) at 2:00 pm ET. Once again, it is NOT a noon start, so players can sleep in a little longer if they'd like. The field will play five 90-minute levels, with a one-hour dinner break after the third level of the day.
Return to WPT.com for live coverage as the field bursts the bubble on Monday as they get closer and closer to Wednesday's televised WPT Final Table.
10:33 AM, 04/30/12
Day 2 Ends With About 55 Players
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
Day 2 comes to an end with about 55 players remaining. Here are the top 10 chipleaders:
1. Farid Jattin - 718,000
2. Darren Elias - 636,000
3. Shawn Cunix - 411,000
4. James Dempsey - 404,500
5. David Tuthill - 381,000
6. Peter Campo - 341,500
7. Will Failla - 335,000
8. Byron Kaverman - 292,000
9. Barry Hutter - 275,000
10. Matt Giannetti - 274,500
The full list of official chip counts will be released by the tournament staff later tonight. There will also be a photo recap of the day's action posted later tonight.
Day 3 begins tomorrow (Monday) at 2:00 pm ET. Return to WPT.com for continuing coverage of the action as they burst the money bubble on Day 3.
11:49 PM, 04/29/12
Danny Shiff Doubles Thru Tony Parille
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
Danny Shiff moves all in from the cutoff for 48,200, and Tony Parille tanks for a while before calling from the small blind with A4. Shiff turns over KK, and he is a big favorite to double up here.
The flop comes QJ3, and Parille picks up a diamond flush draw. The turn card is -- the A! Parille turns a pair of aces to take the lead, and Shiff has two outs to stay alive.
The river card is -- the K!
Danny Shiff rivers a set of kings to win the pot and double up in one of the last hands of the night.
Danny Shiff - 102,000
Tony Parille - 246,000
11:40 PM, 04/29/12
James Dempsey Loses One
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
A player limps in from middle position and James Dempsey raises to 8,000 from the cutoff. The limper calls and they go heads-up to a flop of A73. Dempsey's opponent checks, Dempsey bets 11,000, and Dempsey's opponent calls.
The turn brings the 4 and the player check-calls a bet of 20,000 from Dempsey. The river is the 5 and the other player checks a third time. Dempsey bets 27,000, then his opponent min-raises to 54,000.
"I wouldn't try bluffing you again," he tells Dempsey.
"I have a really big hand," Dempsey replies.
"What do you have?"
"An ace."
"Ace what?"
"Ace with a big card," Dempsey tells him. "Why didn't I check?" Dempsey takes a new tact. "Will you show me if I fold?" The player shakes his head no.
"Wait wait," Dempsey tells the table. "This always works...Do you want me to call?" The other player says nothing and Dempsey gives him a good long look before telling him, "You win."
Dempsey folds his A-J face up and his opponent shows him A6 for a seven-high straight.
James Dempsey - 430,000
11:25 PM, 04/29/12
Justin Zaki Doubles Thru Brian Hastings
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
Action folds to Justin Zaki on the button and he moves all-in for his last 18,400. Brian Hastings is in the big blind and calls.
Zaki turns over 22 and he is racing with Hastings' J10.
The AK4 flop gives Hastings a gutshot straight draw in addition to his overcards and he picks up a flush draw with the 8 on the turn. The river is the 4 though and Zaki's hand manages to dodge a host of outs to give him the pot and the double up.
Justin Zaki - 40,000
Brian Hastings - 230,000
11:06 PM, 04/29/12
Matt Giannetti vs. Byron Kaverman
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
The player on the button raises, Matt Giannetti (left) reraises from the small blind, and Byron Kaverman (right) cold four-bets from the big blind. The button folds, and Giannetti calls -- there is about 65,000 in the pot at this point.
The flop comes K42, Giannetti checks, Kaverman bets 32,000, and Giannetti thinks for a while before he calls.
The turn card is the 7, Giannetti checks, Kaverman bets 85,000, and Giannetti tanks for about five full minutes -- silent and motionless the entire time as seen in the photo above -- before he folds. Byron Kaverman takes the pot.
Byron Kaverman - 290,000
Matt Giannetti - 230,000
11:04 PM, 04/29/12
Tom Nguyen Eliminated by Taylor von Kriegenbergh
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
Tom Nguyen raises preflop, Taylor von Kriegenbergh moves all in, and Nguyen calls with AK. Von Kriegenbergh turns over 88, and Nguyen will need to improve to stay alive.
The board comes 9744J, and the pocket eights hold up for von Kriegenbergh to win the pot and eliminate Tom Nguyen from the tournament.
Taylor von Kriegenbergh - 140,000
Tom Nguyen - Eliminated
11:02 PM, 04/29/12
James Dempsey Takes Another One
Level 14: 1,200-2,400, 400 ante
James Dempsey is in middle position and his opponent is in the big blind when they see a flop of AK8. The player in the big blind checks, Dempsey bets 7,000, then the player in the big blind check-raises to 25,000 total. Dempsey calls.
The turn brings the 7 and the player in the big blind checks.
Dempsey is confused. "You check raise, then you check?" Dempsey then bets 25,000. The other player folds and Dempsey takes the pot.
James Dempsey - 445,000
10:54 PM, 04/29/12
